Media Manipulation
A friend sent me this article and the following commentary about Sean Penn. Read the article and ask yourself how you feel about it.
Then read the commentary that follows and check your feelings after reading it. My comments follow.
Penn's rescue attempt springs a leak
The Sydney Morning Herald
September 5, 2005 - 9:14AM
EFFORTS by Hollywood actor Sean Penn to aid New Orleans victims stranded by Hurricane Katrina foundered badly overnight, when the boat he was piloting to launch a rescue attempt sprang a leak.
Penn had planned to rescue children waylaid by Katrina's flood waters, but apparently forgot to plug a hole in the bottom of the vessel, which began taking water within seconds of its launch.
The actor, known for his political activism, was seen wearing what appeared to be a white flak jacket and frantically bailing water out of the sinking vessel with a red plastic cup.
When the boat's motor failed to start, those aboard were forced to use paddles to propel themselves down the flooded New Orleans street.
Asked what he had hoped to achieve in the waterlogged city, the actor replied: "Whatever I can do to help."
With the boat loaded with members of Penn's entourage, including a personal photographer, one bystander taunted the actor: "How are you going to get any people in that thing?"
***********
OK, stop. How does this article make you feel towards Sean Penn? Got it? Then read on....
***********
I find the story below to be quite mean and off-base. If the guy is doing something, what the fuck?
So many loaded phrases: "personal photographer" As opposed to what, a Government photographer? Having a photographer along seems reasonable tome, on what could be expected to be one of life's important experiences. Plus to document what's seen, perhaps to share images that could bringattention to problems that are not known or being reported.
bailing out water with "a red plastic cup " to make it sound comical.
"within seconds of its launch" to make it sound ill-fated, ridiculous
"sprang a leak" also to belittle the incident.
"forgot to plug a hole" to make him appear foolish
"what appeared to be white flak jacket" First, "what appeared to be" tells us that description could be an opinion, and were he wearing a flak jacket, No shit, it's a dangerous place. While the reporter sits in an office in Sydney Australia.
"loaded with members of Penn's entourage" The reporter doesn't know who is on board, and chooses the words "Penn's entourage" - when he could have a doctor, a paramedic, a scuba diver, a trauma specialist - who knows?
They quote a bystander as "taunting" "How are you going to get any people in that thing?" to imply that everyone around is just holding their bellies with laughter, and that everyone around has no appreciation, and perhaps most stupidly, that anyone around is sitting on the porch just watching Sean Penn and having a grand ole time.
My view is that for a rich guy who could be plenty comfortable staying home reading his great reviews to get into a boat and head into New Orleans - not bad.
I dislike shit journalists. Deeply. Deeper than the deepest flooded street in New Orleans, I'll tell you that.
****************
My comments:
Sometimes the media writes things to be manipulated and we don't even know we're being manipulated. The author can stay invisible and appear to be stating a fact when they're carefully and seamlessly orchestrating a desired response. Usually you can tell because it is an artfully hidden attack that we are just trained to accept. There are certain words people will use and it's a horrible form of manipulation because they don't have to take responsibility for it or own it.
It's just something to watch.
Since I started doing interviews, I've become a whole lot more aware of how something you say can be framed completely out of context to fit an author's agenda.
This story is a perfect illustration of how Sean Penn is working out of purity of intent and it has been completely twisted to seem self-serving.
This is the obliteration of the sanctity of our being. It is, to me, a sin.
As Saarah says in The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things:
“Keep the windows shut and your thoughts pure.”
Then read the commentary that follows and check your feelings after reading it. My comments follow.
Penn's rescue attempt springs a leak
The Sydney Morning Herald
September 5, 2005 - 9:14AM
EFFORTS by Hollywood actor Sean Penn to aid New Orleans victims stranded by Hurricane Katrina foundered badly overnight, when the boat he was piloting to launch a rescue attempt sprang a leak.
Penn had planned to rescue children waylaid by Katrina's flood waters, but apparently forgot to plug a hole in the bottom of the vessel, which began taking water within seconds of its launch.
The actor, known for his political activism, was seen wearing what appeared to be a white flak jacket and frantically bailing water out of the sinking vessel with a red plastic cup.
When the boat's motor failed to start, those aboard were forced to use paddles to propel themselves down the flooded New Orleans street.
Asked what he had hoped to achieve in the waterlogged city, the actor replied: "Whatever I can do to help."
With the boat loaded with members of Penn's entourage, including a personal photographer, one bystander taunted the actor: "How are you going to get any people in that thing?"
***********
OK, stop. How does this article make you feel towards Sean Penn? Got it? Then read on....
***********
I find the story below to be quite mean and off-base. If the guy is doing something, what the fuck?
So many loaded phrases: "personal photographer" As opposed to what, a Government photographer? Having a photographer along seems reasonable tome, on what could be expected to be one of life's important experiences. Plus to document what's seen, perhaps to share images that could bringattention to problems that are not known or being reported.
bailing out water with "a red plastic cup " to make it sound comical.
"within seconds of its launch" to make it sound ill-fated, ridiculous
"sprang a leak" also to belittle the incident.
"forgot to plug a hole" to make him appear foolish
"what appeared to be white flak jacket" First, "what appeared to be" tells us that description could be an opinion, and were he wearing a flak jacket, No shit, it's a dangerous place. While the reporter sits in an office in Sydney Australia.
"loaded with members of Penn's entourage" The reporter doesn't know who is on board, and chooses the words "Penn's entourage" - when he could have a doctor, a paramedic, a scuba diver, a trauma specialist - who knows?
They quote a bystander as "taunting" "How are you going to get any people in that thing?" to imply that everyone around is just holding their bellies with laughter, and that everyone around has no appreciation, and perhaps most stupidly, that anyone around is sitting on the porch just watching Sean Penn and having a grand ole time.
My view is that for a rich guy who could be plenty comfortable staying home reading his great reviews to get into a boat and head into New Orleans - not bad.
I dislike shit journalists. Deeply. Deeper than the deepest flooded street in New Orleans, I'll tell you that.
****************
My comments:
Sometimes the media writes things to be manipulated and we don't even know we're being manipulated. The author can stay invisible and appear to be stating a fact when they're carefully and seamlessly orchestrating a desired response. Usually you can tell because it is an artfully hidden attack that we are just trained to accept. There are certain words people will use and it's a horrible form of manipulation because they don't have to take responsibility for it or own it.
It's just something to watch.
Since I started doing interviews, I've become a whole lot more aware of how something you say can be framed completely out of context to fit an author's agenda.
This story is a perfect illustration of how Sean Penn is working out of purity of intent and it has been completely twisted to seem self-serving.
This is the obliteration of the sanctity of our being. It is, to me, a sin.
As Saarah says in The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things:
“Keep the windows shut and your thoughts pure.”
posted by JT LeRoy at 7:00 PM
<< Home